Sicilian Defense

The Sicilian Defense, a chess opening that begins with the moves 1. e4 c5, is
one of the most popular and highest scoring Black responses to the King's Pawn
Opening - 1. e4. With 1... c5, Black asserts control over the critical d4 square
and launches an aggressive counter-attack to seize control of the center of the
chess board. By choosing to play the Sicilian Defense, Black is willing to offer
White both the initiative of the Kingside and an advantage in piece development
opportunities in exchange for an advanced Queenside pawn and a spatial advantage
that often lead to flank attacks.

The Fighting Dragon is a revolutionary Chess book, allowing the reader to adsorb key patterns and themes that crop up over and over again in the Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defense. Using a carefully selected collection of short games from international play, Powell shows the dangers that lurk for White in one of the sharpest lines from the whole Sicilian complex, the Yugoslav Attack. In the process, the author lays out a different approach to mastering not just the opening, but both chess and even life itself.

The fourth volume of the Grandmaster Repertoire – 1.e4 series provides a top-class repertoire against the Taimanov, Kan and Scheveningen systems, plus all the other Sicilian lines that were not covered in the previous volumes. Negi takes the established main lines and injects them with his own innovative ideas, making the repertoire a nightmare for Sicilian players and an essential addition to the library of every ambitious player.

Learn an aggressive and effective repertoire against the Sicilian Kan, Najdorf, Dragon, and Classical variations of the Sicilian. Bryan explains the variations that arise in great detail and shows you how to counter.

In this book, FIDE Master Carsten Hansen invites you to join him in studying the Sicilian Dragon and its many variations. Using illustrative games, he explains the main positional and tactical ideas for both sides, provides answers to all the key questions and tells you everything you need to know about successfully playing the Sicilian Dragon.

The Sicilian Taimanov is one of the greatest dynamic opening choices for Black. The resulting positions are rich in dynamic, positional and strategic play. The authors have delivered a user-friendly work for players of all levels.

Anyone who plays the Sicilian Defence as Black must be prepared to meet a whole host of options for White known as the Anti-Sicilians. These includes popular choices such as the c3-Sicilian, the Grand Prix Attack, the Closed Sicilian, the King’s Indian Attack and all Bb5 lines, as well as numerous gambits and tricky sidelines which can be very difficult to meet for the unwary player. In this book, International Master Cyrus Lakdawala examines the Anti-Sicilian lines and provides repertoire options for Black against all of them.

When choosing an opening repertoire, it is common to consider two types of variations. One is usually a solid opening, like 1...e5 against 1.e4, with plenty of strategical ideas and quiet paths of play. However, there are of course days when you want to play for a win with Black, when you want to bear down on your opponent’s position with a potentially crushing attack. The Najdorf is perfect for just such occasions – and it’s no coincidence that Garry Kasparov played it the most out of all the variations in the Sicilian – the opening served him well throughout his brilliant career. I myself have played it with both colours, but even I discover more to its endless depths every day! Strategy, combinations, attack and defence, sacrifices and marvelous manoeuvres – exciting chess is all about the Najdorf!

The Sicilian Defence is the most combative way to meet 1.e4, but Black’s hopes of reaching his favourite Dragon, Najdorf or Sveshnikov are often quashed at an early stage.
In Grandmaster Repertoire 6A – Beating the Anti-Sicilians, grandmaster Vassilios Kotronias provides full coverage against White’s many attempts to steer the game away from Open Sicilian territory.

GM Andrei Volokitin presents a 3 hour masterclass on the Sicilian Najdorf – considered the Rolls Royce (or Cadillac) of chess openings. A favorite of Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov, the Najdorf variation gives both White and Black many ways to play for a win. However, the opening is so sharp that one mistake can mean defeat – which is why it is essential to understand the Najdorf properly if you are going to play it yourself or if you are a 1.e4 player. Even after the initial moves (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6) there are many good alternatives.

In this two-volume work, the world's strongest Dragon specialist guides you through the Black repertoire he has played successfully against world-class opposition. This volume deals with the 9.Bc4 and 9.g4 variations of the Yugoslav Attack.

In this two-volume work, the world's strongest Dragon specialist guides you through the Black repertoire he has played successfully against world-class opposition. This volume deals with the 9.0-0-0 variation of the Yugoslav Attack, along with the Classical and White's various other tries.

The third volume of the Grandmaster Repertoire – 1.e4 series tackles many challenging Sicilian lines – the Dragons, Rauzer, Sveshnikov and Kalashnikov. Building on a foundation of critical main lines, Negi reveals an arsenal of new ideas, making this an essential addition to the library of every ambitious player.

The Basman-Sale Variation is a relatively unexplored weapon for Black in the Sicilian Defence. After the perfectly normal moves 1.e4 c5, 2. Nf3 e6, 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Black lashes out with 4…Bc5! English IM Michael Basman and Croatian IM Srdjan Sale were the pioneers of this cunning chess opening system. The advantages are clear: it is surprising, aggressive and easy to learn. Compared to the complexity of mainstream Sicilian variations it requires little theoretical preparation, while you don’t run excessive risks. That is why The Lazy Man’s Sicilian is ideal for club players who don’t have much time to study opening theory (or are not too fond of hard work anyway).

The Basman-Sale Variation is a relatively unexplored weapon for Black in the Sicilian Defence. After the perfectly normal moves 1.e4 c5, 2. Nf3 e6, 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Black lashes out with 4…Bc5! English IM Michael Basman and Croatian IM Srdjan Sale were the pioneers of this cunning chess opening system. The advantages are clear: it is surprising, aggressive and easy to learn. Compared to the complexity of mainstream Sicilian variations it requires little theoretical preparation, while you don’t run excessive risks. That is why The Lazy Man’s Sicilian is ideal for club players who don’t have much time to study opening theory (or are not too fond of hard work anyway).

The Dragon is one of the main lines of the Sicillian where Black fianchettoes their bishop on the h8–a1 diagonal. The line is one of the sharpest variations of the Sicilian, making it one of the sharpest of all chess openings.

The English Attack against the Najdorf and the Scheveningen is one of the most exciting and entertaining variations in modern chess. The line, developed in the 1980s by the English top players John Nunn and Nigel Short, was a mainstay of such chess legends as Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand, and is now also a favourite of players of the younger generation such as Fabiano Caruana and Alexander Grischuk. On this instructive DVD English Grandmaster Daniel Gormally, himself an accomplished attacking player, explains the most important lines of this fascinating system.

The Sicilian family is big but the Sicilian that puts most pressure on White’s centre is the Classical Variation – Black quickly develops both knights to their most active squares. This DVD offers Black a complete repertoire against all weapons White may employ on move six. The recommended repertoire is not as risky as other Sicilians but still offers Black plenty of counter-play. It is an ideal system for players who want to enter the wonderful world of the Sicilian.

The Sicilian is known as the “Cadillac or Rolls Royce'' of chess openings. The Najdorf version of the opening is named after the Polish-Argentine Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf. Over the years many players have lived by the Najdorf most notably Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. The Najdorf begins: 1. E4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 NF6 5. Nc3 a6
David takes us through several variations including 6.g3, 6.Bg5, and several lines of play for Black with modern twists.

CLEARANCE - The English Attack Against the Taimanov Sicilian A Guide for White

Catalog Code: B0154NIC

The ever popular English Attack has long been considered harmless against the Taimanov Sicilian, until in recent years some remarkable improvements were found for White. Armenian grandmaster Zaven Andriasyan has thoroughly and systematically investigated this unexplored chess opening territory. He explains the plans and counterplans, and unveils the structures behind the various lines. While doing so, Andriasyan presents a wealth of highly interesting new ideas and novelties.

SHOPWORN - The English Attack Against the Taimanov Sicilian A Guide for White

Catalog Code: SWB0154NIC

The ever popular English Attack has long been considered harmless against the Taimanov Sicilian, until in recent years some remarkable improvements were found for White. Armenian grandmaster Zaven Andriasyan has thoroughly and systematically investigated this unexplored chess opening territory. He explains the plans and counterplans, and unveils the structures behind the various lines. While doing so, Andriasyan presents a wealth of highly interesting new ideas and novelties.

Sicilian Defense Richter-Rauzer Systems in Chess by Eric Schiller was originally published as three books and is now combined into one. The first book is “Sicilian Modern Richter Rauzer Systems”. Next is “Sicilian Richter-Rauzer With A6”. The third and last is “Classical Richter-Rauzer”.

Every chess player, who begins his games with the move 1.e2-e4, should be perfectly prepared to encounter the move 1...c7-c5. Why is this opening so dangerous for White? The point is that in all the basic variations of the Sicilian Defence the fight is double-edged and often White risks at least as much as Black does. White is practically deprived of the possibility to simplify the position by numerous exchanges.

In this, the second volume of the Grandmaster Repertoire—1.e4 series, Indian superstar Parimarjan Negi tackles the fearsome Sicilian Najdorf, presenting his own world-class repertoire with 6.Bg5. Building on a foundation of tried-and-tested main lines, the author unveils a wealth of new ideas against the Poisoned Pawn and other critical variations, making this an essential addition to the library of every ambitious player.

Fischer-Najdorf and Related Sozin Lines is a chess opening book that analyzes key variations and positions resulting from White's move 6.Bc4 (the Fischer-Najdorf) in response to Black employing the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defense. The book also covers many key positions of the Sozin Variation of the Sicilian Defense that may arise from the Fischer-Najdorf opening move order.

For years the only correct way to play against the Sicilian was to tackle it head-on with the Open Sicilian (i.e. when white plays an early d4). In recent years, some of the worlds best players have started to essay some dangerous anti Sicilian lines, with great success. In this Master & Amateur DVD, International Master Lorin D’Costa and chess software expert Nick Murphy outline the various “anti-Sicilians”. These openings can give you a potential advantage, whilst avoiding your opponent’s favourite Sicilian line.

Nikolai Kalinichenko, an international grandmaster in correspondence player and author of some 40 chess titles, presents here a complete and up-to-date opening repertoire. It is intended for players of positional style, or for use when the competitive situation demands a solid approach. The repertoire is based on 1. e4 as White and the Classical Sicilian and King's Indian Defence as Black.

Nikolai Kalinichenko, an international grandmaster in correspondence player and author of some 40 chess titles, presents here a complete and up-to-date opening repertoire. It is intended for players of attacking style, or for use when the competitive situation demands an aggressive approach. The repertoire is based on 1. e4 as White and the Sicilian Dragon and Leningrad Dutch as Black. Suggestions are also offered against all the opponent's main alternatives.

IM Zhanibek Amanov of Kazakhstan and FM Kostya Kavutskiy of Los Angeles present a repertoire vs. the Sicilian Defense, one of the most complex and powerful defenses available to Black, and the choice of many top players.

The Sicilian Defence is Black’s most popular reply to 1.e4. Most Black players hope for an Open Sicilian, seeking unbalanced positions and opportunities to play for a win. No wonder that in roughly one-third of the games White does not play 2.Nf3 and chooses one of numerous ‘Anti-Sicilian’ lines. Ranging from primitive and aggressive to respected but tedious, these Anti-Sicilians have one thing in common: they all cross Black's plans and steer for territories where it is easy to get ambushed. Evgeny Sveshnikov offers help. The world-famous Sicilian expert tackles these annoying lines one by one. With great ingenuity he presents a watertight repertoire that consists of practical and effective opening ideas.

The Sicilian Defence is Black’s most popular reply to 1.e4. Most Black players hope for an Open Sicilian, seeking unbalanced positions and opportunities to play for a win. No wonder that in roughly one-third of the games White does not play 2.Nf3 and chooses one of numerous ‘Anti-Sicilian’ lines. Ranging from primitive and aggressive to respected but tedious, these Anti-Sicilians have one thing in common: they all cross Black's plans and steer for territories where it is easy to get ambushed. Evgeny Sveshnikov offers help. The world-famous Sicilian expert tackles these annoying lines one by one. With great ingenuity he presents a watertight repertoire that consists of practical and effective opening ideas.

In this book, opening expert Tony Rotella presents a Sicilian repertoire for Black, the backbone of which consists of the Kalashnikov Variation. The Kalashnikov is an ideal choice for those looking to take up the Sicilian.

In this book, opening expert Tony Rotella presents a Sicilian repertoire for Black, the backbone of which consists of the Kalashnikov Variation. The Kalashnikov is an ideal choice for those looking to take up the Sicilian.

The Sicilian Najdorf is undoubtedly one of the most popular chess openings. It was played with great success by world champions Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov and today it remains a favourite defense at all levels from grandmaster to beginner. 6 Bg5 is widely acknowledged as a critical test of the Sicilian Najdorf. In this book, International Master Kevin Goh Wei Ming examines the most theoretically important and instructive games in recent years, highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Whether playing White or Black, this book provides you with essential knowledge of an important opening.

The Sicilian Najdorf is undoubtedly one of the most popular chess openings. It was played with great success by world champions Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov and today it remains a favourite defense at all levels from grandmaster to beginner. 6 Bg5 is widely acknowledged as a critical test of the Sicilian Najdorf. In this book, International Master Kevin Goh Wei Ming examines the most theoretically important and instructive games in recent years, highlighting the main developments and novelties for both sides. Whether playing White or Black, this book provides you with essential knowledge of an important opening.

Lubomir Ftacnik complements his popular Scheveningen DVD with fresh material for training tactical themes. The world’s most popular opening, the Sicilian defense (played in more than 50% of all games!) rises and falls with attack, fantasy and combinations. The ability to spot a tactical opportunity, calculate variations and choose the best line decides the game in sharp Sicilian positions and, even on its own, is a skill worth having.